The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday announced the suspension of collation of last Saturday’s governorship election results in Obingwa local government area of Abia State.
The returning officer for the election in the state, Prof (Mrs) Nnenna Oti said the directive was contained in a letter signed by the secretary of the commission, Mrs Rose Orianran-Anthony.
Furthermore, she said the commission said it would send a committee, which is expected to arrive in the state tomorrow (Tuesday) to review the conduct of the election in the area.
The vice chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, announced this after the results of 16 out the 17 areas have been submitted by the collation officers.
The results indicated that the Young Peoples Party (YPP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Labour Party won in one, five, and nine local government areas each respectively.
The directive came after the national commissioner and chairman, information and voter education committee of the commission, Barr Festus Okoye had directed similar action.
He noted that the decision was taken at a meeting the commission held earlier in the day to review the conduct of the election in the state.
“Arising from the meeting, the commission took the decision to suspend forthwith further collation of the governorship election results in some parts of Abia and Enugu States.”
Okoye said this followed invasion of the commission’s office in the area and holding of the officials hostage by thugs in relation to the collation of the results yesterday.
Meanwhile, the PDP agent-in-chief, for the election, Barrister Charles Eseonu had denied the allegation in a press statement issued yesterday.
In the statement sighted by LEADERSHIP in Umuahia, the state capital, he said: “We therefore implore INEC to do the right thing by not raising false alarm but to announce the results as collated in Obingwa.”
